Voice 123 blacklisted for auditioning

September Day Leach · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 1526

I love Stephanie and the Voices dot com set up but I do like SmartCast for letting me know if my audition was even seen. I also like knowing there's a set number of talents I'm competing against. I don't believe that seekers wander through 500 auditions and I don't blame them. I actually tend to think that your ranking has to do with how many leads you get, not how many times you audition. Do any of you have high rankings and are still getting few leads?

Any of you web guys though about opening your own audition site combining the best of Voices and V123? Wink

Doug Parks · **Voice Talent** Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 227

You know, Ember,

For a while now I've wondered why neither this nor TOS has done just that. It's obvious what everyobdy likes and dislikes. Why all the posturing and defending? Just give the people what they want!

Caryn Clark · **Voice Talent** Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 1000

Dave - interesting conversation you had there.

I've said this from the get go - the problem with the "be picky" and basing the percentage on the others in your "group" is I believe most people who belong to this site don't audition at all, or if they do, it's very very rare. I think the majority of the folks who are Premium Members are newbies who joined to check it out, maybe submit a couple at first, don't get hired, so they focus on their day job and don't submit.

I know I belonged for a while and did just that. I joined, but never auditioned. Probably for about 18 months.

So, my stats are something like I've auditioned 500% more than the average bear... and the average bear has submitted like 1 audition in the same time frame. (I'm making these numbers up, but you know what I'm saying).

THAT'S the problem with THAT.

Diane Havens · **Voice Talent** Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 1281

Stephanie just asked for suggestions to improve the Voices site. I suggested that they somehow let us know if the audition has been opened/touched. (Here, as you recall, opened can also mean deleted.)Also, if they could let you know how many answered a lead, I agree, that would be nice. The ranking at V123 has more to do with WHEN you get the lead than IF, I believe. Though if you don't get it early, it can close on you and you'll never see it.

And as far as getting leads when I was premium -- it varied and it didn't seem to have anything to do with anything. I considered it random ups and downs, since I had a pretty consistent audition rate of about 2 to 5 a week. And I was still at 125 percent over average.

David Oxford · **Voice Talent** Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Posts: 505

Brice Lewis · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008, 23:31 (GMT) Post subject:

I think the rating has little to do with how many jobs you have gotten through Voice 123, but rather the ratings of the auditions the seekers have rated.

While I have only gotten about ten jobs in the fifteen months I've been on Voice 123, my rating is in the top twenty percentile (82 percentile, to be precise). If being in the top fifth with only ten paid gigs is success in Voice 123's book then I'm missing something.

I feel that my auditions are getting better, and I've gotten more jobs recently as a result. I also think the money from gigs reinvested in a new mixer and mic have helped as well. But that doesn't mean three other guys didn't also get a top rating and one of them got the gig instead of me. I also know that I have beaten out talent with a better rating than me because the client picked me over the talent the producer had rated higher.

If anyone from Voice 123 is still listening to these forums, it's simple really. All we talent want from the service is a way to get the chance to audition for those jobs we are capable of doing, and simple, clear rules on how we can best do that. Complicated formulas that penalize us for trying for jobs that we are qualified for, serve neither the talent nor the seeker. The KISS formula seems to work best.

David Oxford · **Voice Talent** Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Posts: 505

Claire Dodin · **Voice Talent** Joined: 16 Aug 2005 Posts: 400

ok, who thinks that Customer support doesn't read the savvy board?
I can tell you that they do, I've received an email from Steven explaining to me why I received the male African American leads (and I did not email customer support as it was rather funny and not upsetting). I appreciate that he looked into the mistake though!
Very Happy

Dave DeAndrea

Craig Koepke · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Dec 2006 Posts: 422

Wow...I'm glad I did not re-ante up. My "premium" subscription died last January. I almost coughed up the dough last month but now I know I made the right decision.

David Oxford · **Voice Talent** Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Posts: 505

Sounds like the fleas are jumping off the sinking dog!

David

Doug Parks · **Voice Talent** Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 227

Something just dawned on me. Sooo many people saying they didn't renew their subscription or are on the fence about renewing. And I'll bet their renewal rate is often under $295, too!
Makes it pretty clear just how much money is (not) coming in via 123.

I would think many people would re-up if they had JUST made their money back, which is a sad ROI. The fact so many AMAZINGLY TALENTED people are either not renewing or at least really CONSIDERING not renewing tells the tale. That's all anyone really needs to know.

The wheels are off the bus. Time to fix this thing is RIGHT NOW.

James Lorenz · **Voice Talent** Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 254

I think my 123 sub runs out around October and I sincerely doubt I'll renew. For me it was useful in that it prepared me for a wide variety of reads but once I began to focus on my local market (NYC Smile

) I realized how much time I had been wasting on auditions online.
I still send auditions when I have time and now am able to be very picky in which ones I send. I've renewed with TOS until next year and might stay with them.

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

...or maybe V123 is perusing all the new tags, (especiallly the positive, glowing ones), to check out profiles that deserve "60-days-free!" offers.

Maybe all the "taggers" are actually helping Voice123 market their premium membership to standard subscribers?

Quite annoying though, to know that I've been a paying member for years, worked many jobs here, and yet others are being offered 60 days free who have no history and who have never even paid.

Maybe I should write and ask for my membership to be extended 60 days for free since I've been such a loyal subscriber for so long? How about sending a reward to those of us that work regularly here and say, "As a thank you for your loyalty and continued subscription to Voice123, we'd like to gift you with two free months at the end of your subscription this year and thank you for your business!"

Wouldn't that be novel?

Lee Gordon · **Voice Talent** Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 1549